My main setup has 2 powered yorkvilles EF500p (800 Watts) at 83 lbs and 2 Powered subs LS800p (1500 Watts) at 137.3 lbs...loved them for big gigs, but I feel they're too heavy for my average every weekend party. I do mostly weddings averaging 150-200 guests. I have a smaller setup 2 Mackies SRM450 (400 Watts) and a pair of powered yorkville subs LS700P (700 Watts) I love this last setup, but now I am looking for something in between.

Reading the forums and surfing, my top 2 choices are the RCF ART 725-A

As I know I am getting 500 more watts with the EVs, I feel 750 watts from the RCF's are fine, question comes down to sound quality...some people feel RCF will have better quality, that being the case, I'd go for the RCF...but if the difference in quality is small, I rather have the EVs (1250 Watts) Any input from you guys is greatly appreciated.

PS/ I was..maybe still am considering the Bose systems, I just wasn't impressed with the bass cabinets ( I do a lot of latin weddings where bass is not just appreciated but demanded ) If anyone wants to give me some input as long as I get opinions or comparison with the speakers above I thank you in advance.

If you're considering a Bose, why not a Dynacord D-Lite 1002 system? Small, lightweight, big sound (a LOT more bass than the Bose) and roughly the same price. The output is not as high as the ZXa5, but that's not really a fair comparison to the Bose either. LOL.

louie,
I do alot of ethnic weddings, and love the sound that my RCF's put out. In my opinion, they sound incredible. But you have to judge for yourself.
Im big on EAW & RCF, we have dealers for both that are local around here, and these guys run massive sound production in our area and beyond.So thats what got me hooked with those brands.....
I also feel Bose is better left for people that wanna hook up there LCD tv to a nice surround sound system. I've been to the Bose main factory in Framingham Ma. when my friend used to be one of their engineer's. I was never convinced by any of their pro-audio line. sorry.But just my opinion.
By the way, I sometimes bring a set of my EAW's, ( FR SERIES ), run a amp to those, and run a set of set of powered subs ( rcf ) from my booth output on my pioneer mixer. works for me, and sounds incredible. so many options out there....good luck

Bill, Ben and Nino..thanks for your input...Nino, as a fan of Apogee and EAW, I was looking at the EAW NT56 but at $3000 dollars each cabinet and $3000 each subwoofer (EAW NTS22) I can buy 8 EV ZXA5s for the same amount of money...it's just out of my budget
:-O... anymore inputs?

louie,
I dont have any self powered EAW stuff ( yet ), but have my eyes on those NT'S. sweet. very expensive.
Im also thinking of setting up a system of line arrays ( crazy ), but would be the first dj in my area to do so, and I have my reasons for wanting to.
Kinda like the JBL line arrays that you can stack from the ground up. nice.
hard to judge whats right for you. I love good sound, and can never get enough.....

louie,
I dont have any self powered EAW stuff ( yet ), but have my eyes on those NT'S. sweet. very expensive.
Im also thinking of setting up a system of line arrays ( crazy ), but would be the first dj in my area to do so, and I have my reasons for wanting to.
Kinda like the JBL line arrays that you can stack from the ground up. nice.
hard to judge whats right for you. I love good sound, and can never get enough.....

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Nino, You are bad fish my friend...I can only imagine if I lived in your area...lol...it seems we are very alike with stuff like this!

I own a pair of the ZAX5's... they kick serious butt. I got them from Ben at Northern Light FX and he set me up with a sweet deal.

The boom from them is nothing I would have thought from a single cab. For most gigs they would be all you need.

I also own the BOSE system 2 L1's and 4 B1's and it is a great system also.

BUT for Latin weddings and parties, even the ZAX5's will not have the demanding thump in your face that the Latin crowd demands, unless you are doing a smaller party, but when I lived in CA and was doing them, there was no such thing as a small Latin party! LOL

I own a pair of the ZAX5's... they kick serious butt. BUT for Latin weddings and parties, even the ZAX5's will not have the demanding thump in your face that the Latin crowd demands, unless you are doing a smaller party, but when I lived in CA and was doing them, there was no such thing as a small Latin party! LOL

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Chuck...lol! you are right about that...what do you or would you pair up the EVs with for subs?

I heard both the Dynacord System and the new EV ZAX5's system at mobile beat this past week. I will admit the Dynacord system sounds incredible and has a very "different and unique" sound. The thing I didn't like about them was I would have to carry the sub with me to power the tops at all times OR carry an amp. I'm sorry but those days are DONE for me. No more passive tops in my future.

The EV's.....OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD. I pooped myself. I was trying to figure how how they got that much clear sound and thumb out of a small plastic cabinet. It is truly amazing.

I'm a guy who carries a pair of Mackie 1801's to weddings. I just like to have the THUMB if I need it. I can tell you that they have enough boom to handle any smaller parties where I would usually carry one sub to balance out the sound.

I asked the EV rep when they were going to make a matching sub. He said they were working on it, but the problem is the sub would would have to be 300+ pounds and take the power of a small city to be able ot match the output on the EV ZXA5's.

The EV's are pricey but you won't need another speaker unless you are doing LARGE LARGE LARGE events. I currently use the Mackie 1521's and they will BLOW THEM AWAY!

The EV is 2dB higher in output but the RCF goes quite a bit lower. RCF quotes down to 45Hz and I know RCF usually quotes at -5dB but I can't confirm that. The EV quotes 50Hz at -10dB. Even if the RCF measurement was taken at -10, it still would put out substantially more bass.

The RCF's horn is 2" exit compared to 1" for the EV. That tells me the highs should sound much smoother and les harsh than the EV at high output. Should have clearer more articulate highs as well.

As for the look, I would have to see the RCF in person as I don't like the way they look on-line...

You should also check out the FBT Hi MaxX 60a, the 40a's big brother. They claim bass down to 40Hz! They normally rate at -5dB as well, must be an Italian thing... My money would be on the FBT to have the most bass due to the B&C woofer. They are most likely incredibly smooth as well since they feature a B&C horn as well. A line from their description says "maximum SPL of 135 dB: IEC pink noise generated." http://www.fbtusa.net/FBTHimaxx60a.html
FBT makes an incredible product. Weight 62.4 pounds.

I heard both the Dynacord System and the new EV ZAX5's system at mobile beat this past week. I will admit the Dynacord system sounds incredible and has a very "different and unique" sound. The thing I didn't like about them was I would have to carry the sub with me to power the tops at all times OR carry an amp. I'm sorry but those days are DONE for me. No more passive tops in my future.

The EV's.....OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD. I pooped myself. I was trying to figure how how they got that much clear sound and thumb out of a small plastic cabinet. It is truly amazing.

I'm a guy who carries a pair of Mackie 1801's to weddings. I just like to have the THUMB if I need it. I can tell you that they have enough boom to handle any smaller parties where I would usually carry one sub to balance out the sound.

I asked the EV rep when they were going to make a matching sub. He said they were working on it, but the problem is the sub would would have to be 300+ pounds and take the power of a small city to be able ot match the output on the EV ZXA5's.

The EV's are pricey but you won't need another speaker unless you are doing LARGE LARGE LARGE events. I currently use the Mackie 1521's and they will BLOW THEM AWAY!

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I need to stop posting while I'm half asleep.....>TWICE I said "thumb" instead of Thump. STEP AWAY FROM THE NYQUIL!

You should also check out the FBT Hi MaxX 60a, the 40a's big brother. They claim bass down to 40Hz! They normally rate at -5dB as well, must be an Italian thing... My money would be on the FBT to have the most bass due to the B&C woofer. They are most likely incredibly smooth as well since they feature a B&C horn as well. A line from their description says "maximum SPL of 135 dB: IEC pink noise generated." http://www.fbtusa.net/FBTHimaxx60a.html
FBT makes an incredible product. Weight 62.4 pounds.

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Well geez...THANKS a lot Steve (2% sarcasm, 98% appreciation) Now I'm also looking into the FBT's.....150 watts more than the RCFs, 350 less than the EVs at 900 watts, I think is another great option...I could also add the subs at 900 watts as well.

This isn't like buying candy guys, and I only do big upgrades like every 5 years..so any more input, including now the FBT Hi Maxx 60a will be greatly appreciated. How is their reputation? I know EVs and RCFs....but does anyone own FBT? or has heard the quality? Thanks again folks!

That new 100Sa is supposed to kick some serious arse! I own the RCF ART705AS sub and have seen shoot-out results which say that the old MaxX 10Sa sub destroyed it! Here's the link: http://www.cobrasound.com/shootout06

As for sound and reliability, FBT is incredible. Between my buddy and I we own 8 x MaxX 4a cab's, 2 x 9Sa subs and 2 x RCF ART705AS subs. We have owned the FBT for over three years and the RCF for two. They have all been ROCK SOLID and the sound is smooth and accurate.

More articles: (The last two are in Spanish since you're Bilingual. With your Italian first & last names, I was sure your second language would be Italian. I was wrong. Great website btw...)

FBT offers quality cabinets to be sure, but have you heard the ZXA5? Or the EX 2.2?

It's possible your opinion might change.

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Unfortunately Bill, I have not had the opportunity to hear the EV or the KV2. I am sure they are both excellent cabinets. I still remember a pair of passive EV's that I heard years ago at Pro Sound where Sound F/X (Sam) works. They were the T series I believe with a + at the end of the model I think... It was a 3-way box. Big and heavy with a coaxial woofer / midrange driver and a horn; awesome sound.